(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to brushes generally and in particular to surgical scrub brushes containing their own cleansing agents.
2. PRIOR ART
Preparation for surgical procedures, such as a surgical operation, require that the operating room personnel be antiseptically cleansed and that the patient as well be antiseptically cleansed in the area to be operated upon. Surgical cleansing apparatus having containment devices for applying a cleansing fluid onto a surface may be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 1,615,581 comprising a chamber having a frangible cap closing its neck, and a needle supported in an inlet which permits the cap to be punctured to discharge the liquid therein on demand. Liquid would feed into a brush to be applied to the skin surfaces of the doctor/nurse/patient using the device.
A further invention is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,135,007 wherein a pad is disposed over a sealing disk on a chamber. A piercing element is disposed within the pad to pierce the sealing member. A surgical scrubbing device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,467,978 wherein a body contains a brush on one side thereof and a sponge on the other side thereof with a pointed finger element for cleaning hard to reach or difficult areas which need cleaning. A further surgical scrubbing device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,446 wherein a brush back has bristles on one face, which face is bendable to swing the bristles into opposed relation for scrubbing an internal or concave surface. A further cleansing device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,559 wherein a pair of reservoirs are attached to a sponge which must be flexed with both hands to pierce a membrane therebetween. The sponge itself is bent to permit the cleansing to take place. Further scrub sponges are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,330,220 and 4,469,463 wherein a reservoir is enclosed in a sponge. A sponge also encloses a piercable element which is arranged to rupture a reservoir to permit the outflow of cleansing material therefrom.
A sponge and brush combination is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,853 or in a housing as disposed on arrangement of bristles on one side thereof and a soft foam material on the other side of the housing thereof. An antimicrobial solution may be placed on the foam block of the '853 Patent.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a scrub device which contains its own reservoir of antimicrobial or cleansing compounds.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a combination brush sponge which is activatable utilizing only one hand.
It is further object of the present invention wherein the brush thereof has means therewithin to facilitate cleansing of difficult to reach areas such as fingernails or the like.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a housing which is not yieldable to fracture its reservoir contained therewithin, permitting structural integrity to remain therewith.